Creative Calzones!

One of my very first jobs in the food business was working for a pizza place. It was called Pizza USA, and it was one of those food court pizza places you’d find in a mall. Think of Sbarro, only worse. Of course, at the time, I didn’t know any better. I was in high school just trying to make some spending money. I actually enjoyed the job quite a bit, and it introduced me to a few cooking skills that helped to lay the foundation of my knowledge today, to include bread making.

Of course, the place is out of business now. It was owned by shady people and managed by even shadier people. We had a manager that ended up being convicted of embezzling money from the petty cash safe. Funny story: I got fired for it! It wasn’t long, though, before the manager got caught and I got my job back, with a fairly hefty raise 😉

Once again, I digress. One thing I remember well from that job was making calzones. They were actually pretty decent and one of the few things that I enjoyed eating from there on a regular basis. When I made the ricotta earlier, my mind went immediately to making calzones! This time, though, I wouldn’t be limited to just pepperoni or spinach. And, since I’ve already got a pretty good pizza dough here to work with, it should be pretty easy!

 

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

I’m sitting here trying to think of all the reasons why I put so much effort into cooking, but I’m actually having a difficult time narrowing it down. I enjoy it, but I can’t name why. I guess it’s something that keeps me involved and moving. After all, what would I do when I get home from work if it wasn’t for having to put a meal on the table? I’d probably just veg out and stare at the tv.

There’s something about the creative process of cooking that I absolutely love. I rarely use a recipe, and if I do, it’s more for inspiration. The exception, of course, is with baked goods and pastries, which require very specific measurements, or you’ve likely got a disaster on your hands.

Cooking, for me, is just a collection of processes, and I get to fill in the blanks. Sometimes I find this exhilarating, especially if I’m trying something new. The most recent example of this is the creme fraiche I made earlier this week. It was delightfully simple, yet yielded a product so delicious and amazing that it put its grocery counterpart to shame! Even more satisfying is the fact that a $4.00 quart of cream yields far more creme fraiche than the $5.00 8 ounce packaged stuff in the cheese section! Imagine what it would be like if I could get my hands on fresh cream . . .